Hood Guard for Use With Front End Loader

npalen · May 9, 2012

Needing to build or buy a hood guard for my Kubota B9200. Could use some help on design or guards on the market. I'm thinking of one that comes back about half way over the hood and may or may not include a grille guard.
Thanks for any help you can give me.

jfay · May 9, 2012

Here is one I built for my L3300. Hope this helps.
J.

npalen · May 9, 2012

I'm looking for something like this Deere Xtra Armor hood protector:

Groo · May 9, 2012

I built a heavy duty grill guard for Dad's Kubota that sticks above the hood a couple of inches and covers the hood by a couple of inches. It seam to be enough, even when dangling large logs from a chain on the FEL

not2old · May 10, 2012

Firewood falling out of the loader is what has caused several dents in my hood. I was shocked at how big a dent from a small piece of wood, but it gives the machine character.

Gary Fowler · May 10, 2012

Wouldnt it be much simplier to just build a high back guard on your bucket to keep stuff from rolling out of the bucket and onto your tractor. Looks like armoring up the hood would cause problems with raising the hood for maintenance as it order to make it thick enough to stop a big rock or big log it would have to be fairly heavy which means at some point you have to raise it up by hand.
I would just take some 2" x 1/4" flat bar and weld on a back guard to the FEL bucket similar to dozer blades. You could even put expanded metal in the frame if you wanted to catch really small objects or limbs from coming thru and getting to your radiator. I would make it a bit wider than the hood and about even with the top of the hood with the FEL on the ground. Make a U shaped frame and then a couple of standard in the middle and a cross bar between them should stop about anything large enough to damage the hood and if you wanted, put expanded metal in front of that.

moored4 · May 10, 2012

Gary Fowler said:
Wouldnt it be much simplier to just build a high back guard on your bucket to keep stuff from rolling out of the bucket and onto your tractor. Looks like armoring up the hood would cause problems with raising the hood for maintenance as it order to make it thick enough to stop a big rock or big log it would have to be fairly heavy which means at some point you have to raise it up by hand.
I would just take some 2" x 1/4" flat bar and weld on a back guard to the FEL bucket similar to dozer blades. You could even put expanded metal in the frame if you wanted to catch really small objects or limbs from coming thru and getting to your radiator. I would make it a bit wider than the hood and about even with the top of the hood with the FEL on the ground. Make a U shaped frame and then a couple of standard in the middle and a cross bar between them should stop about anything large enough to damage the hood and if you wanted, put expanded metal in front of that.

X2 I have done the same on ours!

npalen · May 10, 2012

I think the bucket guard is a very good idea and also from an operator safety standpoint. My problem is that the previous owner dumped what must have been a large rock(s) on the hood and then tried to repair the damage with less than amateur skill doing more harm than good. The result is an eyesore and my first choice would be to find a used replacement hood but that is turning out to be a very difficult find.
So that is what put me on the trail of the hood guard. At least I wouldn't have to see the damage every time I look at what is otherwise a very solid tractor. True, I would know that the damage is there but out of sight out of mind.

Gary Fowler · May 10, 2012

For the money to buy all the material for the armor plate, you could likely repair your hood even if you took it to a professional body shop. If it is metal and not plastic, then if should be easy enough to take off and work the dents out with some body tools and then maybe a skim coat of bondo, wet sand and some JD green paint to match and good as new.